Hang gliding in the Outer Banks: 5 flights to come alive

I wasn’t trying to prove anything by going hang gliding in the Outer Banks.

I’d actually been thinking about it for years, and for a long time it lived in that familiar mental category of someday. Hang gliding looked exhilarating and a kind of validation of those early, Superman-inspired dreams of being able to fly.

All photos by Derek Cadzow and Jacqueline Weatherly-Cadzow, except where noted.

Now, as a milestone birthday approached, I was honest enough to admit something to myself: if I didn’t do it now, I probably never would.

What’s in this story: hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge, what beginner lessons are actually like, where we stayed, where we ate, and what we did on an Outer Banks getaway in January.

Why the Outer Banks — and why January

I hadn’t been to the Outer Banks for several years, which is a little surprising given how close it is. It’s near enough to feel manageable, but different enough to feel like a genuine break.

In summer, the appeal is obvious: long beaches, warm water, rental houses, dunes, history, and a steady stream of attractions along the main highway. It’s busy, energetic, and built around abundance.

In the off-season the experience changes. Hotels and restaurants are still open, the ocean views are still there (although you’d have to be very hardy to get in the water), and experiences, such as hang gliding, are still available — but without the crowds that define the peak months.

We based ourselves in Kill Devil Hills, which turned out to be a practical choice. It sits in the middle of a string of coastal towns that all blend into one another, each with its own personality, but all sharing the same narrow strip of land between sound and sea. The area has grown enormously since Jackie last lived there in the late 1990s — more traffic, more shops, more choices — which made timing even more important.

January, of course, is the off-season and cold, rain, and wind aren’t just potential inconveniences — they’re part of the agreement you make when you come. Even so, we found it busier than we expected, which only reinforced to us how much more crowded the experience might be in summer.

Waiting on the wind to book hang gliding in the Outer Banks

For hang gliding in the Outer Banks, the time-of-year matters.

In the off-season more than other times of the year, the intensity of the wind decides whether you fly or not. Your ability to be flexible is part of the experience before you ever set foot on the sand.

We had originally planned to come the previous weekend, but high winds brought a call from Kitty Hawk Kites letting us know that flying would have to be cancelled for the day. That’s frustrating at first. You’ve booked a room, rearranged a weekend, and the temperature that day was going to be around 70 degrees.

Fortunately, both the school and the hotel were willing to reschedule at no extra cost when we were ready to try again.

Even on the day we finally flew, nothing felt guaranteed. Walking to the dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the wind was strong enough that the instructors were still deciding whether we’d fly or not.

When they finally gave the go-ahead, it wasn’t dramatic. No speeches, no buildup. Just quiet preparation and a clear sense that the conditions were just right enough. In hindsight, that restraint was reassuring. It made it easier to trust what came next, because it was obvious no one was trying to sell us on an experience the day couldn’t support.

What beginner hang gliding in the Outer Banks was actually like

Before trying this, I’d seen plenty of hang gliding videos — all experienced pilots flying high and on their own. It looked exhilarating, but also a little daunting. But this wasn’t like that — this experience was far more grounded, both literally and figuratively.

This was a lesson for beginners. After the short classroom introduction, our flights stayed low, just high enough to feel the lift of the wind and explore how the glider responds — without ever leaving the instructors’ control.

Each student gets five flights and, at our class, we had four students including me.

Nothing happened unless the conditions supported it. The entire afternoon felt designed to let people test themselves without being overwhelmed.

The learning curve was all about getting the feel of the glider and understanding how it moves and how you respond. All it needs is subtle shifts in your body weight and it takes a few tries to understand how to change what happens in the air.

When it worked — when the glider stayed straight and steady — the reward was the experience you could take into your next flight.

I think what surprised me most was how physical it was. There is effort — running into the wind, keeping the glider balanced, responding to small movements — but I wasn’t exhausted.

Even for this older guy, the experience was athletic but manageable.

Click on thumbnail photos to see larger versions
On board photo below courtesy of Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School

It felt like more than just checking off an item on a bucket list. I’d learned something, I’d had an experience that not everyone has (or wants!) and I had a choice for the future: cap that experience or consider taking the next step, whatever that is.

I had been fully present with life and thoroughly enjoyed the experience — and it was something I’d remember for a long, long time.

Places to eat

While the hang gliding was the main reason for our visit, we obviously enjoyed some restaurants while we were there.

The Beachside Bistro

1731 North Virginia Dare Trail

We had lunch before heading to the hang gliding school on the dunes, choosing something simple and unhurried because the day already had enough going on.

We had lunch at the Beachside Bistro (part of the Sea Ranch resort), a smaller seafront restaurant with not too many tables (outdoor seating in better weather), but nicely finished. The waiter also seemed to be in charge and was a man of few words. But he was also very efficient and we were seated quickly and our lunch arrived in record time.

We arrived before noon and they were still serving breakfast food, which was OK with us. Jackie had simple bacon and eggs, and I had the same with toast. Basic, but just what I needed before going to learn how to fly.

The windows gave us a scenic view of the beach and the ocean and we went for a short walk on the beach afterwards before heading off to the dunes and hang gliding.

The 1903 Bar and Kitchen

3105 N Croatan Hwy
(in a strip mall called the Seagate North Shopping Mall)

After hang gliding, we checked into our hotel (more on that below) and cleaned up a bit (getting rid of all the sand in places I didn’t know sand could get stuck) before joining some local friends at the 1903 Bar and Kitchen. They chose the restaurant, and it’s always good to have some local knowledge at your disposal to help recommend the right place.

The menu is broad and casual: seafood, wings, pulled pork, beef brisket, and pizza, which made it an easy fit after an afternoon on the dunes.

As is the case with many restaurants these days, they have merchandise such as t-shirts, stickers, pint and shot glasses, and hats.

Grits and Grill

5000 S Croatan Hwy # N-5, Nags Head

Grits and Grill is better than it sounds to someone (me) who has no love affair with grits! It’s all-day breakfast with what they describe as southern comfort food. Although there was a line to get in, it went quickly and we were seated before long.

It came with hash browns (a bit undercooked for my taste — but that’s just me) and toast — but the omelette was definitely the centerpiece!

Jackie had scrambled eggs and crispy bacon — her favorite.

The service was excellent and Jackie gave a nice tip. On the way out, we noticed that the line at the front door had increased substantially, so I’d advise arriving early to get a seat in a reasonable time.

Places to stay

Needless to say, in a place as tourist-focused as the Outer Banks, there are a number of places to stay. I browsed a number of them on my favorite accommodation search tool (Booking.com) and chose the John Yancy Oceanside Inn.

John Yancy Oceanside Inn

2009 South Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil Hills

Our hotel was comfortable rather than fancy, and that was enough. An ocean-facing room, a place to sit, and the sound of waves outside the balcony door gave the day somewhere to land. After being active in the wind and sand, a short window of stillness was welcome.

The front desk folks were very helpful and friendly. In addition to the aforementioned rebooking after the first aborted hang gliding attempt, they also got us into our room earlier than advertised so we could clean up (getting rid of all that Jockey’s Ridge sand!) before dinner with friends.

The Inn has two buildings — the main building is motel-style and the other is a four-story-high building right on the oceanfront. Booking.com will show you if the room you’re ordering has an ocean view and our room faced the beach and the Atlantic and, if I hadn’t other things to do, I could have quite easily spent an hour or more just watching the waves from the balcony.

I wouldn’t say that it’s a five-star hotel, but it was nicely redone and it was definitely clean. The room was big with a large bed, room for a sofa (or was that a love seat?), a balcony with outdoor chairs, a modern bathroom with large shower and rain head. It also had a fridge, microwave, coffeemaker and coffee supplies. (Alas, no tea bags).

Other places we (tried to) visit

The next morning brought rain, which quietly decided the rest of the itinerary for us and turned some plans into drive-bys rather than stops.

History – the Wright Brothers memorial

One of those places we drove past was the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Well, we didn’t actually drive PAST it, we just didn’t get in all the way. The memorial is an outdoor thing, so rather than get absolutely soaked, we drove into the grounds, talked to the fellow in the kiosk, and had a look at the memorial from afar as we drove back out of the park.

There will be other days for monuments and museums, ideally when the weather invites us to linger.

The seaside and Jennette’s Pier

Before heading home, we spent a little time at Jennette’s Pier, also known as “the people’s pier”. It was one of the first fishing piers built on the Outer Banks and it’s historically known for its great fishing opportunities.

First completed in 1939, it was rebuilt in 1945, and again in 2011.

Click on thumbnail photos to see larger versions

The weather hadn’t improved much, so Jackie stayed in the car while I looked through the indoor shop and exhibits (including several aquariums with large native fish species), and then walked the pier ($2 to get on to the pier proper), which I decided to do in spite of the rain just to be able to say that I did.

It’s a long pier and I walked its length, moving between covered sections so my camera didn’t get wet. Sheltering under one of those covered sections were (I think) birdwatchers with binoculars. The only birds I saw were some wet and miserable-looking blackbirds hunkering down on the deck of the pier.

To me, the highlights are the views off either side of the pier looking back at the waves crashing on the shoreline.

Shopping

Kitty Hawk Kites – yes, they do have kites and a lot of other things too. While I was in the introduction for the hang gliding class, Jackie went to browse their shop and look for t-shirts, or other souvenirs.

She said they have anything and everything you could possibly think of: kites, t-shirts, puzzles, and games. There’s also a whole section for kids.

She was looking for a turtle t-shirt because sea turtles are a big favorite of hers. (She had got me a t-shirt the previous day at the hang gliding school shop.) But she found that they were expensive and pretty picked over from the summer and they hadn’t restocked yet for spring — finding anything in her size was next to impossible. So she ended up not buying anything there.

Ben Franklin – This store was recommended to us by one of our local friends at dinner the previous night. Better quality at lower prices, she said.

It’s a huge place and it didn’t disappoint. Jackie picked her turtle t-shirt out of what seemed like hundreds of other choices at a price point that kept her smiling. They also have beach gear, fishing equipment, clothing, and souvenirs.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Conclusion: what this experience actually confirmed

More than anything, this weekend confirmed something I’ve been learning slowly over time: travel sometimes feels better when it’s chosen and scheduled carefully.

Hang gliding didn’t need to be surrounded by a packed itinerary to feel meaningful. It didn’t need to be followed by another challenge or turned into a story about pushing limits. It was enough on its own — enough effort, enough uncertainty, enough reward. The satisfaction came from matching the experience to where I am now, not to who I might have been years ago.

It also reinforced the value of paying attention. To weather. To timing. To energy. To when it makes sense to lean in, and when it’s wiser to step back. Those decisions shaped the weekend just as much as the flights themselves, and they’re the kind of decisions that quietly influence how future trips take shape.

Sometime after we got home, I ran across a phrase that put words to what I’d felt on the dunes: “People often die long before they are buried.” It stayed with me because, before this trip, several people had asked why I would go hang gliding at my age. This was the answer.

Choosing hang gliding wasn’t about chasing a thrill. It was about staying engaged with life by choosing experiences intentionally, rather than letting them quietly slip into “someday.”

If you’re weighing whether an experience like this fits your own stage of life or style of travel, I hope this gives you a clearer sense of what the decision felt like — not just what the activity involved.

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